Fractured
by TheBrokenGirl
Summary: "I sighed, turning the handle and easing the door open...No one was there." It's been a month now. A month since I've been on my own. Strange things have started to happen around here...things that shouldn't even exist. Max/Iggy MIGGY
1. Chapter 1

__Fractured_  
Chapter One: Ghostly Visitor_

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_I can't stop something once it's set in motion. People always tell me that I can stop it, that I just need more self-control. Although, how can I stop something that I shouldn't be doing until after I've done it? I'm not saying as though I've killed anyone, but I've made a lot of mistakes, and it hurt a lot of people around me. Everything happened too quickly; I lost control of what I was doing and who I was hurting. I never wanted any of this to happen. Because, in the end, all I did was hurt myself more. And this time, I have the scars to prove it._

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"Max?" My mother's voice rung throughout the house, seeking out my ears. My back was pressed firmly against the roof, breathing in the cool night air. It was quiet up here. "Max." She called out again, knocking on the door to my room below. It always sounded that she was searching for me, like she was lost herself. I swallowed a lump in my throat and squeezed my eyes shut. A moment later, I stood up and edged my way to my room, slipping in through my window. The light in my room flickered eerily. It was always the same thing. I shuffled towards the door, grabbing the handle tightly, reluctant to open it. It happened again and again, she couldn't leave me alone. I sighed, turning the handle and easing the door open.

No one was there.

I covered a sob with my hand and slammed the door shut. The light was fine now. Was she all a part of my imagination? Was I going crazy? I jumped on my bed, hiding under the dark blue quilt. It's been a month now. A month since she passed away. A month I've been on my own. Two weeks ago, she started visiting. It was always her calling out my name, trying to find out where I was. The first night, I called Fang over and cried in his arms while he whispered soothing words to me, telling me she wasn't real. But she was. She sounded so real. Was I really not hearing her knock on my door? The second night I had Nudge over. Except, mom didn't call out my name that time. I figured out she only does it when I'm home alone. It was only twelve o'clock so I picked up my phone from my bedside table and dialed Nudge.

"Max?" She picked up on the third ring with a yawn.

"Crap, did I wake you?" I pinched myself on the leg.

I heard the rustle of sheets and the quiet 'tap tap tap' of a keyboard before she replied. "Nah, I was just doing the English assignment, what's up?"

"Want to sleep over for the night? I can give you a lift to school tomorrow?" I bribed her.

"Yeah sure, as long as help me with this assignment."

"Done, see you in ten." I pressed the end button and dropped my phone next to me. It was weird living alone without mom now. She'd left behind a hefty amount of money which I would use to cover the bills for the next year or so until I found myself a job. I've considered selling the house and moving in somewhere smaller, but I wasn't ready to let it all go just yet. There were too many memories in this house. I've been living here all my life, with my mom and dad. Dad passed away when I was six, and twelve years later, mom was gone as well. Now it's just me and her ghost.

I stared at the ceiling until I heard the front door open. I'd given Nudge a spare key so she could come and go as she pleased. She made her way up to my room, opening my door and letting herself in. "Do you have any idea how scary it is walking outside at this time?" I couldn't help but grin at her.

"Nudge, you're like a two minute walk away." She flicked her curly brown hair over her shoulder as she made her way to my bed, dumping her messenger bag.

"A lot can happen in two minutes, Max, I could've died." She pulled her laptop out of her bag and placed it on the bed. "So, I need your help."

"The assignment was too easy, Nudge, how could you need help!" The assignment had to be on the feelings portrayed in the play 'Romeo and Juliet', to be exact. "Did you not read it at all?"

"I watched the movie," She trailed off while staring at the screen. She brightened up. "I know, I'll just copy it off the internet." I brought my hand to my face and smacked my forehead.

"Plagiarism, Nudge. They will know if you do that."

"I know that, Max. I'll just find one and rewrite it in my own words, simple as that. Speaking of rewriting, guess what I got for my History assignment that I also re-wrote?"

"An F for cheating?"

"Nope, I got a B+! Even Mr Stephenson was surprised." A grin worked its way to her face. "Oh and also, we need to plan what we're going to wear for prom! And you will have to find yourself a date because Fang is way too gay for you." Ever since Fang came out of the closet, he's been popular among the girls, shame he didn't date any.

"Hey, I can take Fang if I want to, he can be straight for a night." I put my hand to my chest to mock being offended. I raised my hand to my forehead. "Oh Fang, Fang, wherefore art thou Fang. "Deny thy sexuality, refuse thy boys." Nudge let out string of laughter, almost falling over the bed. The thoughts of mom disappeared from my mind for only a moment.

"You're still not taking Fang, even if he is straight for the night," She replied while still laughing, getting back to doing her assignment. I pouted before standing up and walking over to the light switch.

"Mind if I turn off the light?" She shook her head, eyes focused on the screen while she stared typing furiously. "You know," I made my way back to bed after turning off the light, "You should have started it three weeks ago."

"I know but I was too busy on finding a dress for prom. Do you have any idea how stressful it is picking one out? You need the right color and it has to fit perfectly, then you need to figure out what jewelry you're going to wear with it and how you're going to wear your hair an-" I cut her off with my mouth.

"Nudge. Prom isn't or another two months." I removed my hand from her mouth.

"I know, but, I like to be prepared."

A smirk creeped up onto my face. "Hey, what if a new dress came out that is so much better than the one you bought?"

She looked up. "There is no possible way tha-" She froze and started shaking her head. "It's not possible, that's like the ultimate torture. They wouldn't do that to me, right Max?" She closed her laptop and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"I will laugh my ass off if that happens." I giggled at the thought. She moved her laptop to my bedside table and we both lay down next to each other in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"You heard her again tonight, didn't you?" She was talking about mom.

I closed my eyes. "Yeah, she did." Nudge let out a breath of air.

"Do you think you should talk to someone about it?"

"Not yet."

She didn't understand what I had been going through. She is my best friend, that much is true, but she would never be in my situation. No one has. I felt alone in this, even with my friends around me. It was a riddle I couldn't solve. Nudge tried her best to console me whenever I felt sad or when I called her over. She could pity me, but never fully understand. I turned on my side so I was facing towards my window. It was still open, letting in the cool breeze.

"Goodnight, Nudge."

"Night, Max."

I closed my eyes, wishing that everything was still the same. I wanted to wake up in the morning to smell moms freshly baked cookies in the kitchen. I could remember racing downstairs to grab one before they even cooled, burning my hands and mouth in the process. Mom would then hand me a glass of cold water with a wide smile while I drained it dry. My lips tilted into a smile before dropping back down. I would never see that smile in person again. Nor would I smell her freshly baked cookies in the morning. I couldn't go to her and talk to her whenever I wanted.

Not now. Not ever.

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**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter/prologue of 'Fractured', I intend to update every second day or so, so please read and review because it really helps out. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

___Fractured__  
Chapter Two: The Voice_

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It wasn't my alarm that woke me up. No, the alarm went off after I finished waking up screaming from my nightmare. Nudge held me in her arms while I cried my tears. All the nightmares were the same. I could hear mom crying, but I could never find her. I was constantly lost, roaming in the darkness, looking for the only mother I had. It felt like she was calling out to me, even in my dreams, that she needed to tell me something and she didn't know how.

"Shh. Max, calm down." She rubbed my back, gently pushing me away and brushing the stray hair out of my eyes. "Everything's going to be alright, okay?" I swallowed the new lump in my throat and choked back another round of tears. I had to tough each day out like this. She got out of bed and pulled out a spare pair of clothes and her travel makeup kit from her messenger bag. "I'm making you up before school today."

"I didn't agree to that!" I protested, scrambling out of bed. It was only seven in the morning and school didn't start till eight and it was a ten minute drive there. "If I cook you breakfast, I don't have to wear makeup."

She almost dropped all her items to start laughing. "Max, you can't cook, remember?"

"I know," I grinned before pulling a sad face at her.

"So you're getting a makeover, you can't make me change my mind." She won. I laughed a little, wiping the last of the tears from my eyes.

"Fine, just because I love you."

"Hey, I'm letting you wear what you want so don't complain."

I nodded my head. "Good point."

She made her way out of my room and to the bathroom down the hall to get ready. I sighed, walking over to my wardrobe and opening it. I slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans and faded blue top before pulling a plain red hoodie over my head. I hadn't bought any new clothes after mom had passed away, not that I needed any. Everything in the house was still the same, I had cleaned it three times over until there was not ones speck of dust. That's how I spent the few days when I felt helpless and couldn't do anything else.

A sigh escaped my lips. Today would be my first day back to school in weeks. There, I would face people trying to console me, telling me they're sorry for my loss. I know they won't mean it though. Nudge came out of the bathroom dressed in a pink cami and black miniskirt and glittery pumps.

"Are you allowed to wear heels at school?" She shrugged as she shoved the clothes she wore last night in her bag.

"You ready to be made up?"

I shivered, "Nothing too glittery please."

She let out an airy laugh that filled the room with warmth. "Oh I wouldn't dream of it, Maxy." She led me back into the bathroom she had come out of and made me sit on the bathtub. After almost half an hour she allowed me to stand and look in the mirror. Good, no glitter. She didn't do anything too dramatic; she highlighted my cheekbones and made my eyes stand out with a bit of eyeliner and mascara.

"Thank you, Nudge." I sent her a grin and walked out of the bathroom to let her quickly apply her own makeup. I picked up my own messenger bag from my room and headed downstairs to grab my car keys. "Nudge, you ready?" I heard the click of her heels as she walked down the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She threw a grin as she tossed her curly hair up into a high ponytail. We made our way outside and got into the cart, the scent of newness almost gone. I blinked back a couple tears and turned on the ignition. The car came to life and rumbled beneath us, as if it were excited for an adventure.

"I'm glad I don't have to catch up on anything." I started with a small smile on my face.

Nudge groaned "Max, that's because you made me bring you all the work. Half of your teachers think you're a star child and the other half thinks you've gone insane."

"Oh I am a star child," I reversed the car out of the driveway and onto the road.

"Do you want a medal for that, star child?" She pulled out a tube of lip gloss and applied some in the mirror.

"You know what, I would love a medal. Can you get me one?" I braked at a stop sign and the lip gloss smeared down her chin.

"Oh I'll get you a medal alright," She glowered at me, wiping the stain from her chin and going over it with powder. "A medal for being a great friend and making me put lip gloss all over my face."

I laughed. "There was a stop sign; I couldn't just go through it because you were applying lip gloss."

"Well, you could've warned me at least." She smacked her lips together and put her makeup away. I grinned at her before heading off again down the road. She reached towards the console and pushed a button to turn on the radio.

_BZZZZT – -and we'll follow up on the story three o'clock this afternoon. Now I'd like to talk to everyone about something a little different, a little strange. Today we have a special guest in who says they can contact ghosts. _

Nudge turned up the volume.

_So in a moment we will be bringing him on this show and we will have callers asking him questions that no one could possible know. Now he's asked us to keep his identification a secret but he is currently going by the name as the 'Voice'. He is unclear of where this name came from but we will soon find out when he is on air. Please stay tuned after the song 'Your Ghost' by Greg Laswell._

_If I walk down this hallway  
Tonight, it's too qui-_

Nudge turned the volume down and looked at me expectantly. I stole a sideways glance at her and sighed. "You really think this 'Voice' guy could really contact mom? And that's a big if, because she might not even exist."

"Well maybe if we listen to what he has to say to other people and he's right, we could give him a shot? And if he can't contact your mom, then we can all agree that you're crazy."

I sighed again and rubbed my palm against my forehead when I stopped at a set of lights. "Okay, fine." Because I knew what was going to happen.

This guy would be the real deal and we'd find him, bring him to the house to 'talk to' mom. It'll turn out she isn't there and I'll be out in a straightjacket in a padded white cell. Even now I could imagine what my name would be on the door. "Crazy Star Child" and underneath it would say "Ghost Girl". I shivered at the thought. The lights turned green and I went down the last road that led to our school. We had another five minutes to spare before the bell rang.

"Oh he's coming on now." Nudge, who had been listening to the radio, turned it back up excitedly.

_I think last night; you were driving circles around me._

_"And we are back, this is Jesse and Anna and today we will be interviewing the 'Voice'. Anna, what do you think this voice could be? The voice of reason or maybe the voice of truth?"_

_"Maybe the voice of ghosts, Jesse." _There was mock irritancy in her tone. She laughed and continued for Jesse. _"Anyway, I'd like to introduce to the station, the 'Voice'. How are you going today?"_

_"I am very well thank you, and yourself?" _He didn't sound much older than me. Who was this kid that could talk to ghosts? Did I know him? I turned into the car park the stopped in an empty space, relaxing in the seat.

_"Oh we are quite well. Now, just quickly, is there any other name that we could call you instead of 'Voice' because it just sounds really odd if I were talking to you in a conversation, correct?"_

There was a moment of silence. _"I suppose you're right there Anna. You can call me…. 'I'"_

_"I? As in, the letter 'I'?" _Anna seemed surprised at yet another weird nickname.

_"It's good enough for me," _Jesse had piped in. "_Anyway, I, just a quick question, how and when did all of this ghost nonsense start happening?"_

_"Well Jesse, it's been going on for as long as I can remember. The doctors thought I had a weird medical condition, but they never found anything wrong with me so I went to see someone three times a week. Soon enough I came to accept it and adapt to the strangeness of it." _There was a slight sincerity to his voice, like he wasn't exactly proud of what he could supposedly do.

_"What's the weirdest thing that's been happening to you lately that's been involving ghosts, I?" Anna asked._

There was a long silence, as if 'I' was contemplating whether or not to answer the question.

_"There's been a woman calling out someone's name, like she was lost and looking for them."_

The world around me froze and Nudge turned to look at me. I stared at the radio console.

"Well, fuck."

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**I do hope you enjoyed chapter two. I had a writers block for some reason but now I know where this story is going and what's going to happen along the way. Thank you very much and please review because it is much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

___Fractured__  
__Chapter Three: Visions_

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My vision turned blurry and my mouth went dry. It was impossible. The distant shouting from Nudge brought me back to reality. My head snapped around to watch her pull out her iPhone and dial a number, turning down the volume of the radio.

"Hello? Yes I'd like to ask the 'Voice' a question. Okay, my name is Max…Sure I can hold."

"But," I started, reaching towards the phone, "I'm Max…" She passed the phone to me and I brought it to my ear. I could hear 'I' talking to someone else. What was I doing?

"Alright, next up we have Max calling. Max, what question do you have for 'I' today?"

"That's me," I murmured. My voice echoed before I realized what was going on. "Oh, yes! Sorry. Uh, the woman who was calling someone's name, who was she calling for?" My hand itched to slap my forehead as I listened to myself. There was ten seconds of silence before I heard 'I's slow and shaky exhale.

"She was calling for you, Max… I will be in contact with you through the number you're calling from."

The tiny 'Okay' that came from me sounded weak and hopeless. Then the line clicked dead.

I started to hand the phone back to Nudge but she pushed it away. "He said he was going to contact you and he doesn't know your number, only mine."

The phone dropped in her lap. "Well, when he does, give him my number, okay?" She nodded and starting getting out of the car.

"Well, that was an interesting start to the day." She mused while she shut the door behind her. I followed suit and locked the car. We started walking towards the main block, speeding up when the bell rung throughout the campus. Students were making their way towards their homerooms, walking in their small friend groups. I caught a few looks from people I knew and pulled my hoodie over my head, ducking down and wishing I were invisible. Now it begins, I thought to myself.

"Max." I turned around to the familiar voice and head butted my friend's chest.

"Goddamnit, Fang, you're not meant to run into my face." My voice was muffled against the cool but thick fabric of his sweater. He wrapped his arms around me and mushed me against his body.

"Oh no you don't, not today Fang, you are not ruining the makeup I did for her." Nudge shoved her arms between us and separated Fang from me.

"Oh, sorry I didn't know she looked like a supermodel today." He flashed his award winning smile at her before glancing at me. "You look good, Max." I sighed, if only he was straight. My hoodie had come off during the commotion and I looked around to see we had gained an audience. I covered my head once more and grabbed Fangs and Nudges hands, pulling them behind me to homeroom. At some point Fang had slipped from my vice grip and veered off to his homeroom, throwing a goodbye over his shoulder as he walked away. I slowed down and Nudge met my speed, linking our arms as we walked into classroom.

Almost instantly, the room went dead silent, and every eye was on me. For those who haven't experience it before, I wish I were you. I always tried my best to blend in with the crowd, not make myself stand out. Now it's happened without me even wanting it. The whole school knew what had happened to Mom. It had been all over the paper and news. Nudge led me to the back of the classroom, throwing death glares at everyone she passed while I stared at our moving feet. A small portion of chatter had slowly returned as she found two desks, practically pulling me down into my seat. Ignoring all the stares, I glanced out the window. This was so not a good day. Even moving schools would've been a bad idea.

"Good morning everyone, how are we all today?" Our teacher, Mr Blanchfield, walked into the room with a wide smile on his face. How could someone be that happy in the morning?

A few students mumbled back 'Okay' and 'Alright' before turning back to their friends in conversation. Mr Blanchfield sat himself at the desk at the front of the room, opening the laptop he had brought in and logging in. The glasses that covered his green eyes kept falling forward as he looked up and back to the laptop while he was marking the roll. He seemed too young to be a teacher, who would even choose at job like that? He told us he was in his twenties, which left some of the girls questioning if he meant early or late. A few minutes later he closed his laptop just as the bell rung, signaling first period.

"Come on, Maxie," Nudge stood up and tugged on my arm. "We have English first and I can't wait to hand my assignment in to Mr Stephenson." I followed her as she took me away from the classroom and down a series of halls. Faces blurred. The harsh school lights blinded me. This school felt like a personal prison. It was my very own death trap.

Something in the back of my head snapped and I pinched Nudge. "Don't call me Maxie!"

She stared at me with a small grin forming. "That was a bit delayed, Maxie."

"Don't call me Maxie," I pouted at her.

"Okay fine, Maxine." I playfully shoved her through the classroom door wearing a smile.

"Oh look, the stone woman smiles." Fang got up from his chair in the classroom and slithered an arm over my shoulders, stealing me away from Nudge and to a pair of seats.

"Fang, she's mine for today," She whined.

Fang chuckled and pulled out a chair for me. "I shall have her for English today, and that is final." She walked up to him and flicked him on the forehead before taking a seat in front of us. "You're right there; you can still talk to her, idiot." She frowned before flashing a grin and turning around to face the front.

Mr Stephenson walked through the door and I instantly tuned him out, zoning into my ignore mode. I've completed all the assessment so there was no point in listening, or even being here. At one point during the class, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked it to receive a message from Nudge.

**'I' messaged, I gave him your number so he should text you soon. Xx**

I sent her a quick text of thanks and went back to my day dreaming. A few minutes later it buzzed again and I was quick to pull it out the read the text.

**This is Max, right? –I**

_Yeah, that's me. So you've been hearing my mother?_

**I'm afraid I have been, and it isn't good either. Need to see you.**

_First things first, what's your name and how old are you? (Sorry, just curious!)_

**I can't tell you my name just yet, but I'm 17.**

_Wait, do you go to high school in town?_

**…Yes, I do…**

_Why don't we meet up after school? Do I know you?_

**Not today, pretty busy. And I don't think you do. Now about your mother… I need to know every detail of her death.**

I froze. Was I able to answer such questions? Even I couldn't fully grasp her death, let alone explain anything about it. One day she was there and then the next, she was gone.

_I can't say through text…_

**That's okay, I understand. When we meet up I'd like to hear it, alright? Because all the aspects seem so…unnatural.**

"Max Martinez, what are you doing?" My head snapped up in response to my name. I dropped my phone in my lap and met Mr Stephenson's eyes.

"I was texting, sir."

"And what are the rules?"

"No phones in class." I dug my nails into my fingers as I saw my phone flash with another text.

"Correct, now make your way to detention." I sighed, picking myself up and making my way out of the classroom. The moment I was out of the door, I sent a text to Fang and Nudge.

_Screw detention, I'm bailing. See you guys tomorrow x._

I knew they wouldn't reply till later because they didn't want to risk being caught. I checked the new message that 'I' had sent after his last one.

**Actually, are you free later today? Schedule just cleared up.**

_Aren't you at school?_

**I took the day off for the interview.**

_Well, I'm free now._

**What a coincidence. Wait, why aren't you at school?**

_Got a detention so I decided to bail. I've done all assessment anyway. Here's my address. _I added my address to the text, hoping that some random wasn't going to go to the house and ransack it.

**I'll be there in an hour.**

_See you then._

I left the school building and strolled through the car park, heading towards my car. A light flickered out of the corner of my eye. I turned around and my breath caught. It was my mother; or the ghost of my mother. Everything around went silent. She was wearing her veterinary uniform, ripped and covered with blood stains. She was standing in the middle of the road, staring right at me. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as terror filled her eyes. She reached out to me. A bus rushed past her and she was gone.

I finally remembered how to breathe. After rushing to my car, I sat down on the leather seat to evaluate everything. What did I just see?

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**Hope you enjoy chapter three. Please leave a comment and follow the story if you like it. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Fractured  
__Chapter Four: Aura_

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The drive home was painstakingly slow. My arms trembled, knuckles turning white against the steering wheel. _My mind is just playing tricks on me. _A long, held in breath passed through my lips as I pulled into the driveway. After peeling my fingers from the vice grip on the wheel, I had shouldered my way through the front door and closed it shut behind me. My bag fell with an audible 'thump' as it dropped from my shoulders. I dropped down on the couch in the living room. The walls seemed to pulsate around me. My head pounded in a throbbing headache. What was happening to me?

"Max…" My mother's voice drifted through the house once more. "Max…Where are you?"

"Mom," I cried out, "I'm right here." The pain spiked in my head and a cry of agony escaped my lips.

The calling grew stronger and more frightened. "Max! Max, darling where are you?"

"I'm here, Mom." I shut my eyes and pressed my palms against my head. That's when I heard the second voice.

"You will never see your daughter again, Valencia." The male voice was thick with rage, taunting my mother. My body coiled into a ball, the pain was unbearable. I could hear mom crying, the sound being drowned by my screams of pain.

"Leave her alone!" I didn't want to hear her anymore. The sound of the front door slamming shut almost jolted me out of my terror. Although the warm hands shaking my shoulders is what stopped me screaming,

"Max?" It was the male voice from on the radio. I opened my eyes, my vision bleary and disoriented. Hands pulled my own away from my head before picking me up gently, cradling me against their chest. The voices were gone but the pain remained. I felt myself being taken up the stairs and into a room, gently put down in a bed. I could hardly move. Am I in shock? I stared at the ceiling, blinking furiously to refocus my eyes. The Voice walked away, footsteps dying as he walked downstairs. I could hear cupboards opening and closing before the footsteps returned.

I pulled myself into a sitting position and studied the Voice. He was tall and had strawberry blonde hair that fell across one eye. The eyebrow that wasn't covered had a piercing. As he got close I could see his bright cornflower blue eyes, creased at the corners with worry. In his hands he held a glass of water and a bottle of pills. He sat down beside me and handed me the water and passed me two pain killers from the bottle. After downing the two pills, I put my glass on the bedside table and raised an eyebrow at the Voice.

"So, what gives the infamous 'I' the right to barge into my house?" A smirk tugged at my lips. He glared at me for a split second before glancing out of my window. His eyes had violet specks that seemed to move around, swimming in the blue of his eyes.

"I heard screaming so I freaked out and you kind of left the front door unlock." He shot me a challenging look and I felt my face redden. The headache had already started to fade and I realised he was incredibly close.

I coughed awkwardly. "So, you know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Oh." His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Iggy," He extended his hand towards me that I took firmly in my own. _So warm… _My cheeks reddened again and I let his hand go.

"So Max, want to tell me what happened?" I nodded and drew in a breath, retelling the story from what had happened in the parking lot. He was silent for a long time after I finished my story.

"So how did the doctors tell you she died?"

"A car accident, but she had disappeared days before. I didn't believe them though."

"You're right," Iggy looked me dead in the eye; "She was murdered."

A cold hand gripped my heart. I had already figured out what could've happened, but being told straight up was like diving into the artic. It froze my body but woke me up, made me open my eyes. A stray tear slid down my cheek and Iggy lifted his hand and wiped it away before taking my hands in his own.

"Max, I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this."

"How are we going to do that?"

He squeezed my hands while giving me a tight smile before he, while being deadly serious, said to me, "We are going to talk to your mom."

I recoiled from him, drawing my hands away. I shook my head. "We can't talk to her you idiot! She's dead…" The last word left me as a whisper.

"There's a ritual, I've only done it once before but it'll allow us to talk to her spirit for a short period of time, we just have to get some thi-"

I cut him off. "Stop right there. Ritual? Is this some weird voodoo shit that you want to do?" I watched as his eye twitched, watching me carefully.

"No, Max." He started slowly. "Not Voodoo, it's a complicated magic ritual that takes a lot of practice with your aura." I stared at him blankly. "Magic, Max…"

"Wait, magic as in, spells and stuff? That doesn't exist." I shook my head to prove a point.

"I bet you didn't believe in ghosts either until your mother proved you wrong."

"I guess you're right." I hung my head and down motioned for him to continue.

"Whatever you thought about supernatural beings, they're all real. Maybe not with the same characteristics that they're portrayed as in movies but they're real. Beings like ghosts, demons and werewolves. Any folklore that you have ever read about is real."

"So even the tooth fairy is real?" I cut in.

"Yes, the tooth fairy is real, but not in the way you think." I nodded at him. Is he serious about all of this? "The reason I can see ghosts and speak with them is because I'm clairvoyant. Because of this I'm able to see ghosts and speak with them. I have retrocognitions and premonitions that have allowed me to work with cops in sorting through cases."

He was being deadly serious. The violet in his eyes had expanded, taking over the blue. The clouds had covered the sun outside, darkening my room. Maybe he was crazy as well?

He continued. "For the next week, Max, I'm going to teach you how to be more aware of your surroundings and work on your aura."

"Why would we want to work on my…aura?"

Iggy's eye twitched again. "Your aura is like levels of sight, you can raise them and lower them, control your own. Your own aura normally responds to your strength of heart and mind along with your feelings. Like right now…" The blue in his eyes disappeared completely.

I shuffled to the side away from Iggy. "Iggy… your eyes changed colour." Within a second they snapped back into the beautiful cornflower blue they were before.

"Sorry," He mumbled. "It's a side effect when I shift my aura completely. I normally have it between two levels, that's why it has the purple flecks in them. But like I said, right now your aura is different colours and it's very bright, easy to pick out. A lot of peoples are dull these days as we become more dependant and attached to technology."

I brought a hand to my temple and began rubbing it. "This is so confusing, how do I know you're not lying?"

"How else would my eyes change colour, Max?"

"A trick of the light?" The truth is, I was starting to believe him but it just seemed so crazy and weird. "When did you come to learn of all of this?"

"I taught myself. I spent hours poring over books and trying to figure everything out and learn the skills I know now."

"I can't believe this," I muttered. "I need a coffee." My legs carried me from the bedroom and downstairs. I fell into the definitive routine of making coffee. Iggy had followed me down and sat himself on a stool at the bench, watching me carefully. His eyes had stayed blue, which I think meant he wasn't between two levels of his aura. It was hard to wrap my head around everything. "So, does that mean you can stop a ghost from haunting a house?"

He was silent for a moment, still watching me carefully before answering. "Yes, I can do a lot of things."

I slid a mug of coffee to him before taking a sip from my own. "Have you told anyone else about this before?" He shook his head. "Okay, so why tell me all this?"

Another pause, "It's weird but, I trust you for some reason." He ducked his head down in embarrassment. "Is that too weird?"

"No, it happens. How come they stopped talking when you touched me?"

"It's a bit hard to explain."

"Try me."

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**Hopefully nothing was too confusing in this chapter. I'm back on the road and I know where this story will be going. Please RnR. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

___Fractured  
____Chapter Five: Spirit_

* * *

It's strange to find myself face to face with a complete stranger while I was normally sipping on my coffee. Honestly, I felt completely at easy, but that might be just the coffee talking. In just a month my life had turned into a nightmare, and can't remember ever feeling truly happy, not this numb feeling that had locked itself inside my heart the moment my mom didn't come home that night. It feels like I've completely lost what left I had of my normal life the moment Iggy came through my door. Or more like burst into the house and saved me from something so paranormal that it sent shivers down my spine. So here I am, waiting for this person to explain how he saved my life.

He licked his lips nervously but he met my eyes without flinching, as he had probably faced things much more haunting within his life. "I channelled my own aura through yours, merely converted it and pushed away the spirits that had attached themselves to you." I blinked and nodded slowly, pretending to understand. "You know how before when I said your aura is like levels of sight?" I nodded, remembering what he was talking about. "Well, you can take it one step further. You can learn to use it like a powerful pulse that can push away spirits and also the ability to lend some strength to a certain person. In extreme situations, when on is angry, the aura may automatically pulse, and this pulse can be so strong that even humans not familiar with the aura will feel the power behind the anger."

"You say 'human' as if you aren't one." I gave him a severed look while taking a sip from my coffee. He copied me but he closed his eyes as he thought about what to do next. "And you seem to take a lot of time before talking, why is that?" I know I was asking a lot of questions, but I was curious to know what Iggy was all about.

"When I was a kid, I blabbed about everything I could do, that I could see 'dead people'. People mocked me and I soon learned to keep quiet. Knowing all of this information about death, and supernatural things takes a toll, and you grow up very quickly." His shoulders hunched as he hung his head forward. "In response to your first statement, sometimes I truly don't feel human." He lifted his eyes and I could almost gasp. There was no mask covering the depth of turmoil and shame he held in them. Yet, all too quickly, the door slammed shut and all of that hidden emotion was locked away once more. "I can see and communicate to dead people, I have visions of the future, and I banish things that shouldn't even exist in the world. Max," He reached forward and cupped his hands around mine, the ones that were still holding the mug, "I feel like I'm losing what's left of my humanity."

My breath stilled. I was honestly speechless. It would be impossible to compare my life to his. Inside, he must've been miserable. I've felt this numbness for a month, but he has probably felt it for as long as he could remember. My hands slipped from the warm mug and grasped his own, squeezing his fingers tightly. "Well, while I'm working with you, I'll be your humanity. Is that okay?" The words that left my mouth felt right. Being human was becoming attached to something, having something to hold onto. To feel love, hate, happiness and sorrow. I gave him a small smile, pleased to see him return one that brightened up his eyes.

"Thank you, Max. That would mean the word to me." He left the stool he was sitting on and stepped around the bench until he was less than a meter from me. My arms found their way around his waist and I rested my head against his chest. I felt closer to him already, and that wasn't just by hugging him. His heart rate quickened against my ear as he brought me closer to him. If he was going to help me, I was going to help him as much as I could.

After what felt like forever, we finally parted from the hug. I knew my cheeks had heated up from the intimacy between someone I barely knew; but honestly, it felt right. I spared a glance up at Iggy to see him splashed red, giving me an embarrassed smile. He quickly stepped away to put space between us and coughed, ruffling his hair with his hands. "Sorry that was a bit forward of me." I closed the space between us once more and lifted a hand to his cheek, staring into his eyes, blue flecked with purple.

"You're looking at my aura, aren't you?" I asked as I remembered what the purple in his eyes had meant. _I normally have it between two levels, that's why it has purple flecks in them._

He grinned, leaning into my hand. "Well, Max."

"What color is it?"

"Light pink, like your cheeks and a pale yellow." I raised my eyebrow at him, I had no idea what that means. "The light pink can mean a number of things, compassion, affection or even sensitively. I believe," I flinched as his eyes flared purple, "That the light pink is from the hug we just shared before." A grin crept its way onto his face.

"Is the pale yellow a bad thing?"

"No, more like the complete opposite. Max, the pale yellow symbolizes emerging psychic and spiritual awareness, or was it optimism?" He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm still not very good at reading the meanings of auras very well. You'll see how confusing it is soon enough."

"Well, anyway, I'm grateful that you're going to help me with this, with finding out what happened to my mom." I stepped onto my toes and kissed the cheek that my hand hadn't occupied. He blushed deeply and stepped away from my touch. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, as if composing himself. When he opened his eyes, the blush had faded from his cheeks and his eyes were completely normal again.

"So, Max, how about we get started on shifting the levels of your aura?"

In a few minutes we found ourselves back in my bedroom with the curtains closed shut. We sat on my bed cross legged with a purple candle between us. "So what's the candle for exactly?"

"I'm calling on the element of spirit to help you, the candle is a physical representation of the element." Iggy explained with a tone so serious, it was hard not to believe him.

"So what are all the elements?"

"The main ones I know of are Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Spirit and Time. There are many others but they are more like a," He paused to process for a moment, "They're more of a sub-element, if you get what I'm saying?" I nodded at him and he continued talking about the element 'Spirit'. "Spirit is referred to as the fifth element, or the binding of the four elements, but it is truly time that binds everything together, because once you control time, you can basically control the world. Except no one can control time, but I'll explain that to you another time. Spirit runs throughout the course of the universe, it can be used to soothe and to heal with many other uses. Spirit resides in every living being, and by invoking this element, we can ask it to strengthen your spirit to help shift through your aura levels easily to view mine and others. Can you see how the candle is between us?" I gave him a curt nod, glancing down at the candle. "Spirit is in the center to connect the four, and it sits between is to connect us."

He pulled a small lighter out of his pocket and flicked it so it cast a dim light against our faces. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." He nodded at me, and added another that looked like it was for himself.

"In the magic that runs through my veins, I invoke and fifth and binding element of the four, spirit, to guide us through our auras that are eternally shifting and changing." He lit the candle and I felt a rush of emotions swirling through me. A gasp of wonder left my lips as the sensation of leaving my body coursed through me. This can't be real. I looked at Iggy in wonder, giggling at the new feeling. "It's amazing, isn't it? I can't remember the last time I asked for spirit."

I laughed out of pure joy. "You should call on spirit more often, this feeling is fantastic." I suddenly remembered the task at hand and I bit my cheek to stop my excitement. "Sorry, I forgot what we had to do." I swear I could feel spirit brushing against my skin and whispering in my ears.

Iggy smiled softly at me before speaking. "This is your first time ever dealing with something like this, so enjoy it." The smile fell from his face, "Calling the elements can take a toll on you, depending on the task at hand. They have been used in a various amount of spells that are mostly used for good, but have been for negative spells as well. The elements will respond to the caller, it just depends on caller's strength to how the elements will work."

"Do you think I'll be strong enough to evoke the elements? I'd love to feel the rest of them."

"One day, Max, but we need to focus right now. Are you ready to shift your aura?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I repeated, feeling much more confident then I had before.

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**I didn't know what to write for a while but hopefully I can start uploading every second day. Hope you guys enjoy the story so far. Don't forget to leave a review on what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

___Fractured  
____Chapter Six: Rainbow_

* * *

At first, it was hard. Iggy tried to explain as best as he could but I just couldn't seem to get it. He didn't grow frustrated or tired, he simply kept telling me to try again and not to give up. At times I could almost feel a shift in my core, as if I were simply floating. Except, the moment I noticed the fleeting feeling, it was lost in my celebration. After an hour my legs had cramped up and sweat covered my back.

"Why is it so difficult?" I moaned into the pillow. We decided to take a break and I found myself lying face first into my pillow. Iggy had blown out the candle, placing it on my bedside table before rubbing my back.

"I know it's hard, but at least I know you can shift." I whipped my head around to meet his eyes.

"I didn't shift once, Iggy, not once." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I felt you shift your aura, it may have been small but you could do it. Not enough to see anything but it was something. You said so yourself, correct?" I nodded, recalling the moment I did feel that tug, the sudden change in atmosphere. It was surreal.

"Anyway," I said, starting to push myself up, "Teach me about the other elements." I rubbed my eyes, that hour took a lot of energy out of me. Iggy observed my movements with guarded eyes, I could never tell what that boy was thinking. "Please?" I added. He sighed and stretched his back to make time for him to think.

"If you really want to, but pay attention, okay?" He said after he finished stretching. I raised an eyebrow at him which was a sign for him to continue. "The elements are presented at the points of a pentagram," he drew a pentagram on my sheets with his finger, "At the top of the point you'll find Spirit, and continuing from there to the right it goes Water, Fire, Earth and Air." He made a circle with his finger as if pointing out the elements. "But, the elements could be called in any order, as long as the pentagram is complete. But because Time isn't used, Spirit is normally found in the middle of the four, where each four take their places at the points of North, East, South and West. Are you following me?"

"I think so." I needed a damn book to write in or something. A yawn escaped my mouth which I quickly attempted to hide with a cough. Iggy shot me a weary look but continued anyway.

"Water is the first element starting from the right of Spirit. Water is a heavy and passive element that has the ability to change and flow and to calm and soothe. It is the polar opposite of fire which is what the next element is. Fire is a very active element, it can become destructive with misuse. Yet fire has the quality of brightness, strength and energy. Next is Earth, where we find our footing. It's a heavy and passive element. It's stabilizing and nurturing yet is a place of greatest darkness. The final element is Air, the opposite of Earth. Air is fresh, suspending and associated with motion."

"When you call an element, can you actually control it?"

"You can ask. People with a relatively close connection with a particular element can call and control it with ease."

A thought hit me. "Who would have a close connection with Time then?"

Iggy thought for a moment before shrugging. "Honestly, I'd think it'd be monks or someone extremely old. One who knows a lot about time I would presume." Anxiety passed through his face. "So what do you think of the elements so far? Keeping up?"

I nodded. "I think I've got most of them down… Actually, before when you called Spirit, you said something about having magic in your veins, what's that about?"

Iggy blushed and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess it slipped out, I like to believe I'm magical sometimes." A ghost of a grin flitted over his features, surprising me at how handsome he looked. His face turned serious again. "Max, can you tell me what's been going on at your house exactly? I'm sorry I should have asked before, I guess I got carried away."

"She calls to me during the night, mom I mean. At times she's able to knock on my door and when this happens the lights start to flicker. Normally when people are here she doesn't show up, she stays quiet." I swallowed back the lump of tears that had formed in my throat. "I've had dreams as well." Iggy's eyebrows drew up in surprise. "Well, it's more like nightmares."

"What happens in them?" Iggy lent forward and placed a warm hand on my knee. It was becoming dark but it didn't really bother me.

"I could hear her crying, and I could never find her. I felt so lost. She called out to me, and I couldn't even respond to her." A tear escaped my eye and slowly made its way down my cheek. Iggy's hand reached up, brushing away the stray tear. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close against him. Then, and only then, did I allow myself to cry. I've cried before, yes, but this time was different. I wasn't just crying tears, I was crying my built up sorrow and crying my soul to this boy, the one who had already become a huge impact in my life in just a couple short hours. I hiccuped, stifling the sobs that still threatened to burst out of my chest.

Iggy stayed silent the whole time, taking the tears into his shoulder. It was then I noticed the wetness on my shirt. Had he been crying also? Instead of drawing back, I whispered against his shoulder, "Thank you, Iggy."

"Anytime." His voice was thick, muffled and filled with emotion. We sat in each other's embrace for what felt like hours until we finally parted. I wiped frantically at my eyes, hoping my mascara hadn't run. Iggy cleared his throat and started getting off the bed. "I should get going." He swung his eyes towards the door as if he had to will himself to walk through it.

Without knowing, I spoke without even thinking as he took the first step. "Stay." One word. The word that made him freeze on the spot. That caused a shiver to run up his spine. My feet had found the floor with my butt still attached to the bed. Iggy stepped back towards me, sitting down next to me close enough so our knees touched. He brought his hand to my face again and held it there for a moment. His hand was trembling.

"Max," he swallowed audibly, "Is it wrong of me to want to kiss you right now?" My lips parted in shock and I knew my eyes had widened in surprise. Gradually, I shook my head, denying his question of being wrong. His blue eyes sparkled with a mischief that, in response, made my heart flutter.

Gently, his lips pressed against mine, sending sparks running throughout my body. Sure, I've kissed guys before, but never had I experienced this sensation. It was like coming home. All too soon the feel of his lips on mine ended and he pulled away, a sparkle in his eye. "I apologize, but I've been thinking about kissing you the whole time you were trying to shift your aura." His cheeks reddened. "I shouldn't have done that, we're complete strangers, and I had no right to do that did I?"

"Iggy," A laugh bubbled up from my stomach. I drew my hand up behind his neck and captured his lips in my own for a second. "It's okay, I liked it." I was loving the fluttery feeling that had taken over my body.

Iggy pressed his forehead against mine. "Max, try shifting your aura now." He grabbed my hands in his as I closed my eyes and focused on feeling myself lifting. Once again I felt the familiar tug in my stomach and this time I felt my body floating higher and higher. "Open your eyes now."

They fluttered open to a burst of bright colours. I gasped in surprise, struggling to hold onto the feelings. "Iggy, it's beautiful," I breathed.

"What do you see?" He sounded interested.

"Purple and silver." More colours erupted from him. "Oh you're a rainbow, Iggy." I giggled at the lightness of my body. I felt his hands tighten and his body stiffen up beside me but his voice remained level when he spoke.

"Good, Max. Now pull yourself back down." I frowned but I mentally pulled my body back into myself, feeling heavy and human once more. The colours faded and all I saw was Iggy with his eyebrows drawn together with worry.

"What's wrong?"

He turned to me with a haunted look in his eyes. "Are you sure you saw a rainbow, Max?" I nodded and he sighed as if confirming his worst fears. "What does the rainbow mean?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I've never seen a rainbow aura before in my whole life. So whatever it is, it isn't good."

"…Oh."

* * *

**And so the plot thickens. Hope you guys enjoy. Comments are welcome! **


	7. Chapter 7

___Fractured__  
__Chapter Seven: Purify_

* * *

The silence that quickly followed was almost uncomfortable. A hundred questions sat on the edge of my tongue that sat heavily and awkwardly in my mouth. It occurred to me that Iggy may have never seen his own aura before, which was probably why he was so interested before. The creaks and groans of the house filled the silence, a chilling sound to the ears. I sat in questions; why were the colours a bad thing?

I jumped as my phone buzzed in my pocket. Turning away from Iggy, almost too eagerly, I pressed answer the brought the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Max why'd you leave school?" Nudges voice drifted through my phone.

I faked a sigh before replying to my best friend, "I can't take the stress at school, not yet anyway." I bit my lip, hoping she bought it. She replied with a sound made to console before firing me a question that I had already been expecting.

"So did you meet The Voice?" A grin flittered past my face as I imagined Nudge wriggling in her bed for an answer.

"Maybe," I muttered, shooting Iggy a sideways glance who still sat frozen staring at the wall.

"Tell me everything!"

"Another time, I promise! Talk later." I hung the phone up quickly before she could reply. Yes I felt bad but I could always tell her another time. I threw the phone on the pillow before turning back to Iggy, gently resting my hand on his shoulder. His back stiffened and relaxed beneath my hand and he slowly turned to me. Without a word, I drew him towards me and wrapped my arms around him. His own strong ones snaked around my waist and held me tightly against his body. A few minutes later, he pulled back, clearing his throat.

"Want to explain what all the colours mean?" The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. He sighed before nodding and sat himself more comfortable in my bed.

"You're one hundred percent sure you saw a rainbow?" I nodded while he ran a hand through his strawberry blond hair. "Okay, well there a few definitions of rainbow colours written down, and I've never seen it so I don't know how to interpret it. The first one is that I could possible heal people, but I've never been able to do that before. The second," misunderstanding danced across his handsome features, "is that this is my first incarnation on Earth."

My eyebrows shot up in confusion. "…First incarnation? What in the world does that mean?"

Iggy swallowed audibly, looking considerably uncomfortable. "How do I explain this?" He grew silent for a moment before continuing. "Everyone on this Earth has lived many lives before the one they're living now. That's what people recognize as reincarnation. You never remember your past life but if you meet your soulmate, the partner you had in your last life, your soul will recognize them and you'll most likely fall in love with them all over again."

"So you don't have a past life? Does it matter?" I didn't understand how not having a past life would affect anyone.

"First incarnations are known to have incredible power, or so I've heard," he muttered. "I'm sure it's nothing, but it's something I want to look into a bit more." He took my hands in his and rubbed the back of my hands with his thumbs. "I'm sorry for freezing up. Just being so different to everyone terrifies me. I've never been accepted by anyone my age, they're all afraid of me."

I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I accept you, and that's a start, right?" He nodded and smiled, softly squeezing my hands in his. _Warm…and real, completely real. _I got up from the bed and turned on the light, blinking when the harsh light hit my eyes. "How does pizza sound for dinner?"

"Sounds good to me." He grinned and took my phone from my pillow, tossing it across the room to me. I caught it with one hand, heading out of my room and downstairs into the living room.

"What do you want?" I asked while dialling the number to Pizza Hut.

"Meatlovers for me." I smiled and gave him a thumbs up while I rattled off what we wanted and the address to the house. When I ended the call I noticed Iggy staring at me incredulously. "Four pizzas?"

I shrugged. "I get hungry," flashing a wide smile his way.

Half an hour later we found ourselves digging into the pizza and watching The Lego Movie on Netflix. Another ten minutes later, all four pizzas were gone and we were laying on the floor like two fat hippos. "I think I ate my weight," I groaned while holding my stomach. I heard Iggy moan in agreement, obviously feeling the same as I did. I rolled onto my side to face him, resting my head on my hand. "So Iggy, tell me a little about yourself.

"What do you want to know?"

I thought for a moment. "Tell me about they eyebrow piercing of yours."

"Oh, this?" He brought his hand up to touch the metal bar in his forehead. "The other year I guess I grew rebellious and decided to get it. People told me it looked good and I guess I just haven't taken it out yet."

"It looks good on you. I mean, a lot of people look weird with piercings, but it suits you, I like it." A blush formed on my cheeks as I spoke. _What are you doing, Max… _He smirked but I could see the redness that had tinted his cheeks. "Any other piercings I should know about?" A sly grinned formed on his face. "I hope you're kidding."

"Just this one, I swear." He chuckled, a smile spreading over his features. He reached out the tentatively touched my check with his fingers. "So, Max, tell me a little about yourself."

"I don't really know what to say…"

"Any hobbies?"

I paused to think about it. "Is drinking coffee a hobby?"

Iggy went silent for a moment before a laugh was elicited from his chest. "Max, I'm sure if you think drinking coffee is a hobby you must be addicted to it." His hand fell from my cheek and landed on my free hand that was resting on the floor.

"Coffee is perfectly healthy for me!" I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I'm sure it is, Max." He patted my hand mockingly. A yawn unexpectedly hit me and I covered my mouth and let the yawn ride out. "Awh, poor Maxie is tired."

"Don't call me, Maxie!" My voice shrill from raising it an octave too high.

"Fine," He replied, a grin still planted on his face. "Actually, do you have any salt?" I just stared at him. _Please don't tell me you have a weird addiction to salt. _"To help protect you against any spirits…"

"How the hell does that even work?"

"Have you watched Supernatural?" I nodded slowly. "Well some of the things that they do are completely right. So we're going to cover your door and window sill with salt so any spirits can't enter your room."

"We have some in the cupboard, I can grab some for you now if you want?"

"If you don't mind," He replied with a grin. I got up from the floor, groaning at the movement, and made my way into the kitchen to grab the salt. I felt Iggy standing behind me but I still jumped when his hands enveloped my waist. He bent his head down and placed a warm kiss on my shoulder, sending heated vibes throughout my body. "Sorry," he began to pull away, "I must seem like a dick."

Salt in hand, I whirled around hastily and grabbed onto his shirt with my free hand. "You are definitely not a dick, Iggy." I pulled him towards me and kissed him gently before pulling away. "You don't need to do some weird magic stuff to put the salt down, right?"

"Nope," he smiled, "But I do need a glass of water." I grabbed a spare glass from the bench and handed it to him, so he could fill it up.

"Could've told me you were thirsty," I mumbled.

Iggy chuckled and took my free hand with his, the glass –now filled with water- untouched. "It's part of the whole putting the salt down and protecting your room." He started pulling me up the stairs towards my room. "Basically, I'm going to mix the salt with the water so I can flick it against the walls so any spirits can come through them. There are other ways of warding a room and the salt water is probably the weakest but I'm sure it will hold."

"How come salt though? Don't they like it or something?"

"Salt is a purifying element of Earth, and also grounds the spirit. So that means that the spirit cannot cross a circle of salt, but it also depends on how pure the salt is." We reached my room. "Anyway, let's get warding, shall we?"

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**Okay hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Leave a comment on what you think and encourage me to write more! Thanks guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

___Fractured__  
__Chapter Eight: Remember_

* * *

The room felt somehow safer as I watched Iggy made his way around the room, flicking the salt water at the walls. He was muttering beneath his breath; words I couldn't hear, even as I strained my ears or tried to read his lips. Another minute later he stopped where he began and drew a pentagram on my door.

"Why the pentagram?" I asked him as he sat down on my bed. He shook hair out of his eyes, glancing over at me with purple flecked eyes.

"Asking the elements to help protect your room," he grinned, "and well you of course." I nodded my head as if it made sense; how could invisible things protect me from evil spirits. A sudden thought raced through my mind.

"Can you read minds, Iggy?" The question left my lips before I could even process it; and I shit you not, the devil flashed upon his face.

"Why Maxie, does the thought of me reading your mind scare you?" He drew closer towards me until our lips are almost touching. "Does it make you uncomfortable?" My heart sped up a couple beats and I just sat there, staring in almost shock into his eyes. He had a power that was beyond my knowledge, beyond everyone else's I know; but how -for the love of god- did he have the power to send my heart fluttering like a hummingbirds wings.

Iggy had different personalities. He can easily close himself off from the rest of the world one second but then become an entirely different person the next. I still barely knew anything about this boy, and yet I felt safe being near him, like there was a thread tying me down to him. Before meeting him, I'd felt hollow since my mother's passing, yet in just a few short hours, I swear I could feel him putting me back together again.

I smirked at him, "Of course it doesn't scare me," I whispered before pressing my lips softly against his. I pulled away after a moment to ask him another question. "Actually what were you saying when you were walking around my room?"

"That is for me to know and you to find out." He grinned before capturing my lips in his own.

As soon as I was finally getting into it, there was a knock on my door.

Another.

A third one followed through.

Iggy and I froze before quickly pulling back and staring at the door. He shot me a sideways glance before looking at the door again. "What's going on?" I whispered to him. "Are they angry?"

He grabbed my hand and held it in his, squeezing it softly while still looking at the door. "The spirit, or spirits that aren't your mom are threatened by my presence. We'll have to find a way to cleanse this place of them before we try and talk to her."

Me eyebrow shot up in question. "Doesn't cleansing get rid of everything?" I asked, thinking back to how cleansing had been performed in Supernatural.

"Not if we use the right incense and ask the right thing." The door knocked twice more which made Iggy squeeze my hand more tightly.

"So you're saying we'll be asking the element?" Iggy turned around and nodded at me. I leaned forward and pecked his cheek before getting off my bed and turning off the light.

"Oh, kinky," I heard him mutter into the darkness. A blush quickly stained my cheeks red and I was glad that it was dark enough that he couldn't see. _Unless…_

"Iggy?" I trailed off while I made my way back to the bed.

"Max?" He replied.

"Can you see in the dark by shifting your aura?" I stood in front of him, listening to the sound of his light breathing.

He chuckled and placed his hands on my hips, guiding me back towards the bed. "You know, I've never really thought to try."

"You should some time, just not right now," I continued talking before he could answer, "So can you tell me about the other levels of aura?" I laid on my back, feeling the bed deepen beside me as Iggy did the same.

"I'm not really sure how to go about explaining them. Honestly, I'm not good at explaining anything."

"Well, you've explained a lot already and I've understood most of it so just see how you go."

"Alright," he drew in a small breath, "The first level is simply just shifting your sight to see the aura of humans, obviously, which we perceive as colours and we give each colour a meaning depending on what type it is. That's what you see today, so you simply shifted your sight to one level above your normal one which is just seeing the world through your own eyes… Are you getting this so far?"

"So far so good."

"Okay well, the next level up is when you can see spirits or 'invisible monsters' which little kids say they see; like the boogie monster."

"Wait, so the boogie monster is real?" My jaw fell slack from shock. Iggy chuckled beside me and I was quick to slap his stomach to make him stop. "Don't laugh; he was terrifying when I was a kid." I turned on my side to get a better look at Iggy, barely making out his profile in the darkness of my room.

A small wince came from my mouth as the door knocked twice more. Iggy, sensing my discomfort, turned on his side also and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close against him. Immediately I was smothered by him; and his scent was one I didn't seem to recognize before. He smelled like lavender, to which I almost giggled as I imaging him showering with lavender scented body wash. It was definitely not a manly smell.

"Kids are actually less grounded than older people, and they shift in and out of their sights when they are afraid. Since so many kids are afraid of the dark when they are young, they unexpectedly shift their sight two levels up and are able to see spirits or what they ended up calling the boogie monster. And were you about to laugh at me just now?"

I stifled another giggle as he mentioned it. "I can't help it, Iggy."

"Help what, laughing? Why are you laughing?" He sounded genuinely confused and I muffled another laugh that threatened to burst from my chest. "Seriously, Max, what's so funny?" He tightened his arm around me and I was hit with another wave of lavender scented Iggy.

"You just… smell so lovely, Iggy."

"…What?"

"You smell nice."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You smell pretty, Iggy." I started to laugh out loud as Iggy groaned in mock frustration. "Do you shower with lavender body wash? Pretty boy." The words were broken up between breaths of laughter.

"At least I smell prettier than you," Iggy chortled back with a grin plastered to his face.

I laughed even harder at this. "I don't think that's a good thing, Iggy. You're meant to smell manly!"

My laughter was cut off as his lips found mine, capturing and conquering them into silence. He pulled back with the same grin still attached to his face. "Do I kiss manly?"

I paused, "Nope, you kiss like a girl."

"Well, how do you know how girls kiss?" He retorted. _Shit, he got you there Maxie-kins._

"I uh-" I stuttered as I tried to find a conclusive answer, "I may have some experience in the kissing girls department." _….Really, Max?_

"Wait, what. Really?" A sly grin found its way onto my face; now I had him hook, line and sinker.

"Of course, Iggy. It gets so boring sometimes, you know? You just need to loosen up a little."

"I hope you're not asking me to go around kissing guys now… I mean, I'm not a homophobe but I am definitely straight."

"Awh, I had a perfect candidate for you as well." I pouted my lips at him, hoping he could see well enough through the dark.

As he kissed me once more I melted into him. He was already an addiction I didn't want to get over. He pulled away once more and whispered in my ear, "You're a perfect candidate, Max." My skin shivered –in a 'holy crap that was so romantic' way- while he moved down my neck, placing butterfly kissing until he reached my collarbone. "Honestly, Max, it scares me how much I want to be with you, how much I already trust you. I've never felt this way before." He placed a soft kiss on my collarbone sending another 'holy crap' shiver through my body. I haven't been this close to a boy in a long time. A long time meaning a time before Fang joined the other team.

It scared me also, because I was starting to feel the same way. Just yesterday I wouldn't have imagined finding myself lying in bed with a guy I've only known for a few hours, but felt like I've known him for years. Yet as I lay in the warmth of his arms, I couldn't help wonder if maybe we had met before, when we were younger. And as I closed my eyes; I remember that his were unpleasantly familiar.

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**Alright thank you everyone for reading my story so far. Hopefully it'll get to the more interesting parts later in the story but it's an increasing build up for now. I'll start posting at least once a week because I've just been so distracted with holidays and work its insane. So thank you guys again!**


	9. Chapter 9

___Fractured__  
Chapter Nine: Burn, Bleed, Melt_

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_"Max! Max darling, can you hear me?" My eyes flared open to the sound of my mother's voice. She sounded closer this time. A flame of hope lit and burned brightly in my chest, my heart pounding against its prison-like ribcage. Throat hoarse and dry, thriving for liquid; sour in heat. I cannot reply. Fragmented paving lay beneath me. And with another look, blood was soaked through the thin ravines; in more than a slightly grotesque manner. Again she calls my name._

_Where is she? I look around; faux sun illuminating and creating shadows. A building, falling apart at the cracks and seams. Was this where my mother was held? Where she spent her last hours taking her final breaths. The earth roared and shuddered. A fiery hand drifted across my cheek, burning and soothing._

_"Max, be careful, my daughter." _

_The ground shattered._

_And then I burned._

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I bled. My eyes open in the waking world to meet a sky that never ends. My fist struck out and connected a wall; eliciting a soft 'oof' from the victim. Momentarily shut off from the sky, I dived back into the dark. And then he was back to watching me bleed. The blood ran in rivers from the ribbons from my wrists that were slashed so deeply. But with his eyes he covered my wounds and wrapped them tight, healing; fixing. And so I found my voice.

"Were you watching me sleep?" The snark bite intended for the sentence was without a trace; with my breath airy and my heart still in spasms.

"Max, you were screaming and thrashing about. It was kind of hard to sleep through something like that." Now I began to see the layers of worry in his eyes, how scared he must've been. He pushed a strand of hair away from my face, cupping my cheek softly. I watched his eyes dart back and forth between own.

Feeling caged, I gently pushed him away to sit myself up. The early morning sun filtered through the window, its dim light casting shadows throughout the room. Iggy watched me with cautious eyes, waiting for an explanation. After shifting around, a sigh escaped my lips and my lungs inhaled more air.

"It was mom. Then I just started burning up, I think."

"Some dream, huh?"

I breathed out. "Yeah, some dream." Iggy wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. "What time is it anyway?"

"Around six am." I groaned and threw myself back against the bed. It was too early. "I agree with you there, way too early." I paused.

"Iggy, I didn't say anything." He grinned and wriggled his eyebrows. "So you can read minds!" He chortled with laughter and lay beside me.

"You're an idiot, Max."

"How?" I turned on my side with my head resting on my hand. He chuckled and raised a hand to cup my cheek.

"I can't read minds. I just took you throwing yourself back at the bed as a sign that it was too early for you." Heat raised to me cheeks and I turned my head away. _Yup, you're an idiot Max. _"Hey," he gently turned my head back towards him with eyes sparkling like -dare I say- a diamond, "you look real cute when you blush." If he didn't shut up I'm sure my cheeks would burst into flames.

"Shh," I close my eyes and fell back against the pillow, "let's sleep just a little more."

All too soon I dozed off into sleep land again.

I woke up to warm hands on my shoulders, arousing me from my sleep, which had zero freaky dreams that time. "Max," his voice drifted into my ears, "you don't want to sleep away the whole day do you?" I opened my eyes to the blinding light that filled my room and my nose caught a draft of full lavender-scented Iggy.

A few minutes later we were downstairs drinking coffee; with me on my second and Iggy still choking down his first.

"So what are the plans for today?" I asked Iggy while washing out the empty mugs. I left them next to the sink to dry before turning around to face him.

"We're making a pit stop at my place and then we're hitting the mall." I raised an eyebrow at him when he mentioned the mall. "I need to pick up a few supplies so we can speak with your mom. Speaking of that, could you tell me any details about the dream?" I nodded and rattled off the details of the strange dream I had.

"Are you sure that you were in a building? What did it look like?" I thought hard back to the dream.

"It's hard to figure out the details, I don't pay much attention to my dreams. But it was old and sort of falling apart." Iggy nodded and pivoted on spot before jogging back upstairs. He quickly came back down with his phone in hand, typing furiously. A minute later he put it down on the kitchen bench so we could both see what was on the screen. It showed a map of the town; with dots and names scattered throughout the page.

"A few miles out there's a whole town full of abandoned and degraded buildings, it'd be the perfect place to look." He dragged the screen across to another town before zooming in to show the names of the streets.

"Iggy, are you even sure about this?"

"Did you recognize the building in your dream? Like, have you seen it before?" I shook my head in reply. "Then it's got to be one of these, it has to be. You wouldn't just whip up a random building in a dream like that would you?" I shook my head again with a small smile on my face. Iggy knew what he was doing. I placed a kiss on his cheek before walking towards the door, grabbing my shoes next to the stairs to pull them on.

"Alright, let's get going to your place. Whose car are we taking?" Iggy came over and also started putting his shoes on.

"We'll take mine, I think I cut you off anyway," I shot him a look, "Sorry, I wasn't exactly thinking about where I was going to park, I was going to move it later."

I shrugged it off, "I guess it doesn't matter that much, I just don't know how you actually managed to do that."

"So are you going in that?" He motioned his hand towards me, still wearing the same clothes I was wearing yesterday.

"Well, are you going in that?"

"Touche'" We grinned at each other before heading out of the door. I patted my jeans, double checking that I had my phone, wallet and keys. I looked up to see a Black Cadillac CTS sitting in the middle of the driveway. I let out a low whistle.

"Iggy, how did you manage to get your hands on a Cadillac, especially a newer model?" I sped towards the car, jumping into the front seat and relaxing into the leather cushions. Iggy ducked into the seat next to me, pulling on a seatbelt and turning on the ignition. "Oh wow, Mr Safety are we?" He shot me a dark look, watching as I pulled on my own seatbelt. He pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. "So where do you live exactly?"

"A couple minutes away, so don't fall asleep." He threw me another look and I blushed under the weight of his gaze. My spine tingled as I remembered the last thought I had before I went to sleep the night before. Iggy had turned back around to keep his eyes on the road so I took the chance to analyse him.

No one else had eyes quite like his; especially since they could change from blue to purple. Even so, they were a unique shade of blue that I didn't see very often, with streams of white running through. Maybe, if at that moment had I paid more attention, I would've noticed the dark blue specks that also accompanied his eyes. I followed the strong curve of his nose, to his high cheekbones, all the way down to his sensual lips. Iggy shivered as if I had actually touched his features instead of tracing them with my eyes. Maybe he had a secret sixth sense? I giggled at the thought.

"Having fun staring at me?" His voice was light, a hint of a grin tugging at his lips. His eyes darted sideways to meet my own. Blue and brown. Water and earth; colliding together like the sand on the shore. My skin prickled with electricity at the familiarity of his eyes once more; why were they still so familiar?

"I'm having a lot of fun."

"Why, is there something on my face?" He brought his hand up and rubbed his cheek. Laughter bubbled from my chest and my lips stretched to form a grin.

"There is nothing on your face. In fact, it's quite a handsome face." I watched as his cheeks slightly redden in appearance. I revelled in triumph. We are silent for a moment. I want to ask him why he felt so familiar, ask if he felt the same way I did when I looked into his eyes. Although, I don't want him to look at me and laugh. I sit back and put my arm over my eyes.

I feel the sun against my skin, looming above us as we made our way towards his house. It was nothing compared to my mother's hand when she touched my cheek, or at least what I thought was her hand. It angers me sometimes, thinking about mom. My chest tightens uncomfortable as my dream drifted to thoughts, and thoughts drifted to memories. I hate my fucking hacked-up life, how I'm without a mom and dad, how damaged I've become. I stop. I breathe.

I needed to stop thinking back to her, how I wouldn't get to see her again. I was becoming delusional. No sound reached my ears and I wonder if I'm sleeping again. I am alone in the darkness; but I feel my arm pressed against my eyes. In less than a week I will find out the truth, about what really happened to my mother. I still feel the sun on my skin; tormenting me that the days continue on without a care.

I melt.

What felt like hours later, Iggy was lightly shaking me awake once more. My eyes opened, bleary against the midday sun. "We're here," I made out while awakening from my short nap.

I got out of the car, looking around. "How long was I out for?" I yawned, stretching my arms up towards the sky.

"Only a couple minutes," Iggy shut the door behind him once he left the car. He looked at the house across the road from the car, a haunted look in his eyes; and I wondered when that gaze first appeared in those endless eyes of his. I started across the road towards the house he had looked at and he, what seemed almost reluctantly, followed.

Mere meters from the door he called out to me. "Max?"

I turn my face to look in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I'm so glad I got to meet you."

I let myself look at him for a long time. Every curve of his face was familiar, and yet, I had never seen him before. He smiled. Shining. Timid. He reached out and stroked my hair. I leaned in and kissed him. He touched my face. Ran his hand down my neck and along my collarbone. The light from the sun shone down on us.

"Give me your hand."

He does.

His skin is soft and warm. We intertwine our fingers and close our eyes against the sun. Then I pull him, gently, and led him towards the house.

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**Alright I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This I worked on for a couple hours and didn't exactly spew it out. Read and review! Thanks!**


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